EDMONTON - It’s 10:30 in the morning and a steady stream of people pass through a nondescript door in the heart of Edmonton’s Chinatown. They head toward a counter at the back of the room where 80-year-old Hong Ying is busy at work, ladling up the creamy white concoction many of them have come for.

“Soya jelly, dessert tofu, tofu pudding — it has many names,” says Marina Ying, assistant manager at Ying Fat Foods. “The proper name for it is bean curd, but don’t let the name fool you — it’s similar to crème caramel.”

Marina and her family (including her father Hong, mother Chiying, sister May and brother Don), own and operate Ying Fat Foods, a company that actually manufactures tofu and other soybean products right here in Alberta.

“Tofu is our biggest seller, but we also make soymilk, soy noodles and the dessert tofu,” says Marina. “And although we do make different kinds of tofu, white and deep-fried are the most popular.”

At first glance, tofu seems simple. After all, a package of Ying Fat Tofu contains only three ingredients: soybeans, water and sodium sulfite. Turning those ingredients into tofu is a bit more complicated, though.

Marina walks me through the process. First, the soybeans are soaked overnight in a big vat of water. The next morning, once the beans are soft and they’ve doubled in size, they’re ground up, along with some of the water they’ve been soaking in. That mixture gets put through a strainer, where the soymilk is separated from the soybean waste. The milk is then boiled and cooled, sodium sulfite is added (to make the milk curd), and it all gets beaten. Once the milk turns to curds, the curds are dumped into trays where they’re wrapped in fabric.

“The curd is all broken up — wrapping it in fabric is what holds it together,” explains Marina.

Once it’s wrapped up, the water is pressed out and violà, tofu.

“The type of tofu is determined by the amount of sodium sulfite that’s added and how much the milk is beaten,” explains Marina. “Firmer tofu has more sodium sulfite and gets beaten more — beating helps remove the water faster.”

Start to finish (except for the overnight soaking), the whole process takes about an hour.

“We make it fresh every day, and right now we’re making two batches a day,” says Marina. “We start with 210 kilograms of soybeans and end up with about 2,880 pieces of tofu.

“It isn’t easy. Everything has to be just right, including the amount of each ingredient and the temperature of the milk. If there’s too little water, the tofu will be too soft and too thick. Same with the temperature — if it’s too cold, the tofu will be too soft.”

And even though the process is automated, with machines doing most of the work, everything still has to be monitored constantly.

“If you walk away, even for a minute, the batch will be ruined. We have lots of batches that don’t turn out.”

Still, it’s much easier than when the Yings started making tofu in the late 1980s. Back then, everything was done by hand.

“My parents came to Edmonton from Vietnam in 1983. My dad had been a mechanic, but here he just did odd jobs until he bought the tofu shop. He didn’t know anything about making tofu, but the former owners taught him — just not everything. He still had to figure out some things himself.

“It was really hard work. My parents would start at 6 or 7 in the morning and wouldn’t finish until 11 or 12 at night.”

That was up until about 10 years ago, before the machines were put in.

“Now my dad comes in every morning, and his job is to make the curd — the dessert tofu. It takes him two or three hours, and then he’s done for the day. My mom, who’s in her mid-seventies, still works the till from about 9 to 7 every day. We keep trying to get her to go home earlier, but she won’t.”

Even though Chiying doesn’t speak much English, she usually understands what her customers want. Pointing comes in handy, too. And if that fails, there’s generally someone around who does speak English.

Ying Fat sells a variety of tofu and soybean products. Most, like the white tofu (firm, medium, soft, marinated and dessert), tofu puffs, soy noodles and soymilk, are only available at Ying Fat. Lucky 97 and 99 Supermarket in Edmonton also carry Ying Fat’s deep-fried tofu.

“Deep-fried tofu is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside — it’s really good in stir-fries. Our regular tofu works well in soups, and the noodles are good in salads. But tofu is already cooked, so you can eat it just as it is if you want. It’s so good for you and so versatile — you can even bake with it.”

A number of Edmonton restaurants also get Ying Fat tofu delivered daily, including Dynasty, Mikado, Good Buddy and the kitchen at T & T.

“We even have people who drive up from Red Deer and Calgary to buy our tofu — and, of course, our pudding.

“They like it. It doesn’t have any preservatives and it’s extremely fresh. And its texture is softer and silkier than other tofu.”

Ying Fat Food Products Ltd. is located at 10512 98th St. in Edmonton. Call 780-425-9489, Tuesday to Sunday, starting at noon, for more information about ordering tofu.

Mapo Tofu

Marinade:

1-1/2 tablespoons (20 mL) cornstarch

2 tablespoons (25 mL) soy sauce

Other:

1/4 lb. (100 g) ground pork

1 lb. (450 g) tofu (medium firmness)

3 green onions

1/4 teaspoon (1 mL) salt

1 teaspoon (5 mL) Chinese salted black beans

1 tablespoon (15 mL) chili bean paste, or to taste

3 tablespoons (45 mL) chicken stock

1 tablespoon (15 mL) cornstarch

2 tablespoons (25 mL) water

2 tablespoons (25 mL) light soy sauce

2-3 tablespoons (15-25 mL) canola oil for stir-frying

Freshly ground Szechuan pepper

Mix marinade ingredients. Marinate pork for 20 minutes.

Cut tofu into half-inch square cubes and drop into boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Remove tofu and drain.

Chop green onions into small pieces.

Heat wok and add oil. When oil is hot, add marinated pork. Stir-fry pork until the colour darkens. Add salt and salted black beans. Mash beans with a cooking ladle until they blend in with the meat. Add chili paste, chicken stock, tofu and green onions.

Turn down heat and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Mix cornstarch, water and soy sauce together. Add to wok and stir gently. Season to taste with Szechuan pepper.

Gingerbread Cookies

1-1/2 cups (325 mL) brown sugar

1 cup (250 mL) mashed tofu

1/2 cup (125 mL) canola oil

1/2 cup (125 mL) molasses

2 teaspoons (10 mL) ginger

2 teaspoons (10 mL) cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon (1 mL) cloves

1/4 teaspoon (1 mL) nutmeg

1 teaspoon (5 mL) salt

1 teaspoon (5 mL) baking soda

5-1/2 to 6 cups (1,325 to 1,500 mL) flour

Mix brown sugar, tofu, oil, molasses, spices, salt and baking soda together in a blender until smooth. Set aside.

Put flour in a large bowl. Add tofu mixture. Using mixer, beat until combined. If dough becomes too stiff, mix it with a wooden spoon.

Chill dough for 3 hours.

Place dough between 2 pieces of wax paper and roll out to one-quarter-inch thickness. Cut dough into shapes with a cookie cutter.

Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350F for about 8 minutes or until brown around the edges.

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